NEWS ARCHIVE

(Clinton) -- Although give a preliminary OK to proceed at the last COW, the Clinton City Council said 'no' at the business meeting to commit to the construction at the business meeting.

After several presentations and discussions at the committee and council level over the past several months the Clinton City Council has said ‘no’ to a commitment to build a new lab at the new wastewater treatment plant.

Plant Superintendent Dan Riney has said the new facility is needed for the new required testing and location at the new plant is vital to the timing of the test. Riney had sought formal approval of the council to proceed the concept of construction before any more work or planning is done of the project. The cost has been estimated at 3-million dollars. The council had give an OK to proceed at the last Committee of the Whole session.

Council member John Rowland said he couldn’t support the project and wanted to wait a couple of years until things looked better for the city and there had been other projects the city had put on hold.

Riney responded that with 25 year of long term control plan projects ‘it won’t look better” and “I’ll stand here every other council meeting for the next 25 years if we wait for it to look better.”

The cost of the lab had been included in a bond issue for various long term sewer improvement projects.

Mayor Mark Vulich clarified with Finance Director – Interim City Administrator Jessica Kinser that the cost of the lab would not impact a potential sewer rate increase. She said there would “no impact” because it was paid for in a bond issue backed by the local option sales tax. If the lab doesn’t happen, Kinser said that won’t change the rate increase discussed at the budget workshop.

Council members John Rowland, Julie Allesee, Paul Gassman and Maggie Klaess voted no on the measure to proceed on the new lab.

Written 2/27/2013 by Dave Vickers - KROS News

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